How to ask something in Hungarian

Turists usually ask questions, but how to do that in Hungarian? In fact, it is really easy. Forming questions is all about a question word, the usual sentence structure, and a rising tone at the end of the sentence.

But what are these question words? They are the Hungarian equivalent of the wh-words: who, what, where, when, which, etc. By learning these basic Hungarian interrogatives, you will be able to express your questions easily, in an effective manner. For example, if you’re at the souvenir-shop, and you’re interested in buying a painting, you can ask the vendor “Mennyibe kerül ez a festmény?” (How much does this painting cost?), you can simplify the question to “Mennyibe kerül?” (How much does it cost?), or you could just point at the painting and ask “Mennyi?” (How much?”) Easy and effective. The vendor will know what you are asking, and will tell you a price.

Let’s learn a couple of these question words. Remember to always raise your tone at the end of your question, and always put a question mark in writing.

Ki?

Who?

Ki jön ma velem vásárolni?

Who comes shopping with me?

Mi?

What?

Mi ez?

What is this?

Mikor?

When?

Mikor ebédeljünk?

When should we have lunch?

Hol?

Where?

Hol van a legjobb vendéglő a városban?

Where is the best restaurant in town?

Miért?

Why?

Miért fontos ez?

Why is this important?

Hogyan?

How?

Hogyan készíted a gulyáslevest?

How do you prepare the goulash-soup?

Meddig?

Until when?

Meddig maradunk itt?

Until when do we stay here?

Mióta?

Since when?

Mióta fáj a lába?

Since when does your leg hurt? – formal speech

Kivel?

With whom?

Kivel találkozunk holnap?

With whom will we meet tomorrow?

Mennyi?

How much?

Mennyibe kerül ez a festmény?

How much does this painting cost?

Finally, take a look at this infographics with all these Hungarian question words you’ve learned!

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